Cake Tales: The Wedding Feast

Alison and Paul

Alison and Paul got  married at St Etheldreda’s, in London’s Ely Place.  It is the oldest Catholic Church in England and one of only two remaining buildings in London from the reign of Edward I.  They had their reception in the crypt which is where Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon had a massive feast.  It is said that in 1531, he and his wife Catharine of Aragon were guests at Ely Palace. They were attending a lavish feast given by the then Bishop of Ely, Nicholas West, which is said to have lasted for five days.

Alison and Paul at St Etherdreda's

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The church and the crypt is steeped in history.  With such a prestigious venue the décor and the cake had to be classic and understated.

The crypt of St.Etheldreda's, where the reception was held.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For this  wedding cake I kept things fairly traditional in the Delights Kitchen.   Three tiers of Vanilla Sponge with Vanilla Buttercream, covered with ivory sugarpaste and burgundy sugar roses.  I added our contemporary twist by adding a pearlised lustre to the cakes; we skipped the usual satin ribbon and wrapped the cakes with rich, velvet, burgundy ribbon.  I’ve since called this cake the Rose and Velvet Cake and is proving popular with brides this year and has already been featured in Wedding Cakes – A Design Source magazine.

Rose and Velvet Wedding Cake

“Thank you and thanks so much for the cake – it was amazing and everyone raved about it.  The venue manager was incredibly impressed with it too.” –  Alison Evans